Method of making coiled springs.



G. P. BYRNES.

METHOD OF MAKING OOILED SPRINGS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAILQS, 1908.

Patented June 3, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR M 6% WITNESSES G. P. BYRNES.

METHOD OF MAKING COILED SPRINGS.

APPLICATION FILED mmzs, 1908.

1,063,505. Patented June 3, 1913 2SHEETS-SHEET2.

wrrNEssE INVENTOR UNITED STATES GLNRENCE: RYRNESg. 0E SEWI-CKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD.- orf MAKING COILED; srnriv'os.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-June 3,1918% Application filed January'23,'-1.9U85-. SErialNo; 412,276..

To all'wh'gom' itmayconcem':

Be-it known that I, CLARENCE P. BYRNES, of Sewickl'ey', Allegheny county, Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new and useful Method of MakingCoiled Springs; ofwhich f the following is a full, cliear; and exact. de scription', reference being had to the accom panying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a partial end? elevation showing the step of winding" the spring; Fig: 2 is a similar'top plan view-y Fig; 3* is a partial View in section', sh'owing" two ofthe coils in wound position; Fig: fl; is a similar View showing" one coil and illh'st'rating" the contour before and after winding; Fig. 5 is aview similar to Fig. 4, showing another form of cross'section; and Fig; 6 is aplan view and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views showing another form of guide and a separator arranged to wind-the coils in separated' positions I My invention relates t'othe manufacture of the class of springswherein' resistance is increased by friction and cam coaction between the coils, as in the. springs set forth in my United StatesPatent N-umber'743,689, dated November 10, 1903. In the manufao ture of such springs, having irregular cross sectional cont-our. and flanges on cam faces which coact witheach; other; it has been found difficult to give" the properrela tive shape and position to the coact'ing faces of the coils when wound. Moreover;. the relative interfitt'ing position of the" parts should be substantially the samethroughout all parts of" the coils in such springs;- order that the spring" shall not become" distorted and shall have an even action throughout its length during the stroke;

I have found that a desirable positioning ofthe parts for'increasingthe resistance and attaining a substantially even contact: and turning on twisting act-ion: throughout,v may be obtained by formingt-he section of a" distorted contour other than that" desired, and changing this contour in the act of forming or winding the. heated bar under tension: to its coiled or helical spring shape; In other words,=I change the cross-section ofany individual' portion of the stock by the winding operation hereinafter described; Incarrying out my invention, therefore, I roll, forge or otherwise form a bar of irregular cross section and of a cross sectional shapewh-ich differs from that desired in the wound;

is'prin'g, and I=' then wind this shape when gprop'eril y heated so as to bend or force the Fmetal into the desired cross sectional shape i and contour.

1 1mthedrawings referring to Figs. 1 and 2; I have shown a preferred form of apparatu's for carrying out the winding opera-tiona In these figures, 2' represents the imandlrel which may be either of ordi- {nary' form or grooved to receive sucficessive turns; and either cylindrical, conic'ahor of other shape,- according to the @shape of spring-*desiredi 3 is the face plate jto which may be attachech a securing device :for theend of'the' bar, which device I have ishown as comprising a pivoted; pointed dog E45,. sopositioned that the strain upon it will ic'ausew it to-bind" more tightly upon the end of the bar which is inserted beneath it. 3 Any suitable holder may of course be used. i'l he barb is'preferablyfed through a guide 5'1, which I have shown as consisting of two parts, having within them a hole, shaped fapproximatel'y to the form of the bar and fadfiustably secured to the head of a post 8 Eby'sehsc'rews- 95 This allows an adjustment 1" of theguid'e at right angles to the axis of the mandrel In order to bring the guide gas close aspossibletothemandreh it is pref- ;erabl y chamfered or curved; as shown at @1 0; this guide also assisting in holding the j suocessive coils in place. The post 8 is prefjerably arranged to be adjusted around a @vertic'al axis; as byhaving a stem ll which fprojects down into or through the sliding support 12, which moves on the V shaped slides 1 3; To adjust, the gui'deto its desired angular posit-ion, 1 have shown bolts 14., ex tending through arc-shaped slots in flange f portions of thepost. The post may also be adjusted vertically by means of liners in serted between its" base flanges and the support12. The guide, therefore, has rotary, vertical and horizontal adjustments to provide'f or different sizes of mandrel or bar, etc. 'In order'to hold the opposite sides of the 'coils in proper place, I preferably provide the support 12 with a post 15, carrying the adjustable bar 16, which bears against the coils at the opposite side from the guide; In most cases, I prefer to wind the coils in contact, and then open the coils while the" springis hot and before tempering, where a partial strokeis desired, before the ,coils contact. with each other. The feed iscrew 17 may be driven by any suitable connections, such as replaceable gears 18 and 19 between it and the toothed wheel 20 on the mandrel shaft, which may be changed for different pitches of spring.

In Fig. 3 I show two of the coils of one formafter coiling. In Fig. 4 I show in full lines one form of bar before coiling, the dotted lines indicating approximately the changed form after coiling. In Fig. 5, I show another form of section for the bar, which is double-headed and preferably symmetrical from both ends, the full. lines again indicating the shape before coiling and the dotted lines approximately the shape after coiling. In these figures, I have shown the flange or head on the bar as projecting externally, but this may project internally within the next coil. The bar should be given sufficient tension within the guide or otherwise,- to insure the metal of the bar being drawn down into properly inclined position, thus changing the cross sectional shape to the final form. To assist in imparting this proper final shape, I may wind the coils in overlapping position in contact with each other, and then if it is desired to have the coils separate in the final spring, they may be separated in any desirable manner, either before or after coiling. I have shown the bars as fed in approximately the level of the upper surface of the mandrel, but the bar may be fed in at different levels relative to the mandrel, and by Varying the angle of feeding in relative to the mandrel, the change in shape of the section may be more or less varied and regulated. In this way also the amount of tension may be varied, since if the guide is below the top of the mandrel, the metal will bend upwardly from the guide in passing into the mandrel.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, I have shown a preferred form of guide formed in two halves 22 and 23, giving a cylindrical or barrel form, which is recessed to receive the hinging device 24, secured by the hook bolt 25, movable within a slot in the upper half of the clamping collar. This clamp is formed as the upper part of the head 26 and the guide barrel may b rotated to different angles and secured at the proper angle by a clamping nut 27, extending through an arcshaper slot in a flange of the lower half and into the head. This guide also preferably has the adjustment referred to in the form of Figs. 1 and 2; but this rotary adjustment of the guide is important in order to get the desired angle and proper engagement of the coils. In these figures I also show an arcshaped separator 28, which is mounted on the traveling carriage 29, carrying the guide and is arranged to project between and separate the successive coils. This may be used Copies qithis patent may be obtained for in case it is desired to obtain a certain amount of free spring action befor the increased resistance, due to torsion and friction, is begun. It will be noted that. the change in cross sectional shape during winding is unsymmetrical as regards the axis of the coil at right angles to the axis of the spring. In other words, the projecting flange is flexed or bent slightly relatively to the larger body portion of the cross section.

The advantages of my invention result from forming the bar of a cross sectional shape other than the desired shape, and then bending or changing the contour during winding or coiling. By proper tension in coiling, the bar will then be brought to the desired form during winding, the coacting faces will be brought into such relation as to give the increased resistance, and substantially even action thus given to the several coils of the spring. This problem does not arise in ordinary springs of circular cross section where the coils do not interfit to give the torsional action of the springs above referred to. The process is also of advantage in varying the angle of the operating face of the cam flange or head.

The spring may be formed by forcing or drawing the heated bar through a die or dies, and many other changes may be made in the form and size of the bar, the forming apparatus, etc., without departing from my invention as defined in my claims.

I claim 1. The method of making spiral springs having co-acting flanges or projections, consisting in Winding a bar of spring steel and of unsymmetrical cross-section into spiral form, and simultaneously changing the crosssectional shape by the act of coiling; substantially as described.

2. The method of forming coil springs having co-acting coils of irregular crosssection, consisting in winding a spring steel bar of irregular cross-section other than that desired in the final spring and changing th cross-sectional shape of the bar by the act of winding into coil shape; substantially as described.

3. The method of making coil springs, consisting in feeding a spring steel bar of irregular cross-section other than that desired in the final spring through a guide, winding the bar into a spiral and changing its cross-sectional shape after leaving the guide and during the act of winding; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CLARENCE P. BYRNES. Witnesses:-

H. M. CoRwIN, R. D. LITTLE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of l'atents, Washington, D. G. 

